Jesus Was Not Born Again in Hell

This one here is a doozy. Did you know that there have been religious teachers in the "Word Faith" movement over the years who have taught that Jesus was born again in hell? Seriously. Talk about a blasphemous doctrine. Anyone who teaches this heresy is presenting a different "Jesus" in their "ministry" than the Jesus of the Bible. God does not need to be born again. He is God....without sin....and without the need for the new birth.

(Photo: Dan Delzell)

Since the early centuries of Christianity, believers have taught that Jesus "descended into hell" between his death on the cross and His resurrection. The passages used to support this teaching are primarily Ephesians 4:8-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-20. It is certainly not heresy to teach that Jesus descended into hell. It is a traditional biblical teaching and it is even part of the Apostles' Creed. Based on 1 Peter 3:19, the teaching is that Jesus went there to proclaim His victory over sin, death, and Satan.

Descending into hell to proclaim His victory is a far cry from being born again in hell. What would possess a person to teach such a horrendous thing? For one thing, Word Faith teachers tend to only emphasize the humanity of Jesus and what they perceive to be the "god-like" qualities of believers. It is a grossly distorted view of both God and man. It leads them to promote the lie that God is pleased when a teacher spends millions of dollars on his own personal pleasures. The Bible does not endorse greed or luxurious living for Christians....and yet all of it gets promoted by these false teachers at the expense of the "faithful."

You would be wise to stay far away from anyone who teaches the heresy of the "born again Jesus." Such a person is probably convinced that Word Faith teachers deserve to lavish themselves with millions of dollars worth of homes, private jets, and other expensive possessions. Their followers tend to ignore the plush lifestyles of their famous leaders, who mix some truth from the Bible with their lies about Jesus being born again....and their lies about God being pleased to see them spending millions of dollars on themselves.

God's Word clearly says, "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

The "Jesus" of Mormonism is a different "Jesus" than the true Jesus; so also the "Jesus" of Islam; as well as the "Jesus" of the Jehovah's Witnesses; and even the "born again Jesus" of certain Word Faith teachers. A person who creates a "Jesus" in man's image is a person who creates a cult or a false religion that devours the souls of misguided followers. Jesus is the eternal God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is not a created being. He has never been born again, and He will never need the new birth.

Religious leaders in various groups have found it beneficial to their cause to redefine "Jesus" according to their opinions and in a way that fits their doctrinal system. In many cases, it fills their coffers with lots of cash. They convince their followers to give their hard-earned money for the promotion of their unique teachings....and for the ritzy and excessive tastes of the superstar leaders. Just what we need....more religious superstars and more ministers in mansions here on earth.

Jesus was never born again, but you can be. If you will repent of your sin and accept Christ as your Savior, you will never ever descend into hell....not even for a day or an hour. Jesus went there to announce His victory after dying on the cross to pay for your sins. You get to hear about His victory here on earth....so that you can have a loving relationship with God and receive eternal life in heaven while rejecting an eternity in hell.

By receiving Christ as Savior, you reserve your place in heaven....and you are then given a mission to reach others with the good news. You probably won't get rich doing it....and if you do, God will lead you to give a ton of it away rather than wasting it on yourself. That is one of the ways that other Christians will recognize your faith....by the truthfulness of your message, and the testimony of your life.

There is no reason for you to be "robbed of the truth" and to "think that godliness is a means to financial gain." (1 Timothy 6:5) Leave that greed and nonsense to those charlatans who teach a "born again Jesus." They claim to have great faith, and yet they don't even have the little faith it would take to give away the millions of dollars that gets spent on their extravagant homes, luxury automobiles, and private jets.

False doctrine has a way of producing false living. These celebrity teachers need to repent of their false doctrine and meet the real Jesus. The truth is that no one will ever be born again in hell, but many will find themselves there after wasting their life under the influence of false teaching. That influence is at least as dangerous as being under the influence of alcohol or any other drug.

It's time to wake up. If you have been duped by the sales pitch of a millionaire minister, snap out of your spiritual stupor and stop admiring and imitating false teachers. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:2) Today is the day for you to begin following the real Jesus.